Education

Abstract

Since 1979, public education services have undergone considerable change and reform, imposed by successive Conservative governments. These reforms reflect wider public-service policies, centred on the belief that if the quality of education is to be improved, then private-sector management techniques and commercial criteria need to be imported into schools, further education establishments and universities. In line with other public services since 1980, education has felt the full force of privatization, restructuring, decentralization and CCT. These initiatives, rooted in the values of enterprise and market competition, have aimed at enhancing efficiency and value for money, securing tighter controls over public spending and promoting improvements in educational standards. All have impacted on the ways in which in education people are managed.